


Galerella Sanguinea

by SpookedBlue



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: And hes really obvious about it, Animals don't work like that, Biology Inaccuracies, But he doesn't know it yet, Cannibal Puns, Cannibalism, Crack Treated Seriously, Empathy, Food is People, Grumpy Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal is soft for his mongoose, Hannibal uses a lot of pet names, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kidnapped Will Graham, Kidnapping, M/M, Manipulative Hannibal Lecter, Murder, Murder Husbands, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Consensual Touching, Oblivious Will Graham, Pet Names, Possessive Hannibal Lecter, Self-Indulgent, Sleepy Will Graham, Though Hannibal clears it up, Touch-Starved, Will Finds Out, Will Graham Knows, Will Graham Loves Dogs, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham gets mongoose features, Will Graham is basically a catboy, Will can purr, Will doesn’t want to be a mongoose boy, Will eats the food, and happy to tell him that, animal ears used as a sedative, at first anyway, but a mongoose, but he does, but only as in stroking will's mongoose ears, for will's own good of course, hannibal is happy to use will's new features against him, i know nothing about mongooses, lets blame the animal features, mild panic attack, mongoose!Will Graham, puns, so will shouldnt either, the title literally just means slender mongoose, will is constantly tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-11-27 17:22:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20952083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookedBlue/pseuds/SpookedBlue
Summary: When Will wakes up with the ears and tail of a mongoose, who better to tell than his friend Hannibal Lecter? After establishing that he isn't hallucinating, Will figures out that his friend may not be as trustworthy as he thought. Now held hostage, Will needs to use his wits to escape- wait, what do you mean love?Aka Hannibal loves Will, and takes advantage of a strange situation.





	1. Chapter 1

Will rolled over leisurely in his bed, snuggling beneath the covers. He felt wonderfully sleepy, a rarity these days, and he was content to enjoy it to the fullest. He stretched his body out languidly, his fingers brushing the soft fur of a dog by his back. Will smiled. Winston had snuck into his bed again. He knew he should reprimand him of the bad habit, but it was comforting to have the loyal dog by him.

He raised his hand to pet over Winston’s fur, only to hit open air. He frowned, searching out for the dog with his fingers but finding nothing. Reluctantly, he cracked open his eyes. He turned, only to discover that Winston was absent from the bed. Will fully opened his eyes, blinking against the light. He was sure he had felt fur.

He stood up reluctantly and pushed the covers away from his bed, only to discover nothing that could have produced the texture of fur. Will ran a hand through his hair in confusion, only to freeze. In his hair he could feel two velvety soft lumps. The last remnants of drowsiness were washed away by the cold shock of the discovery.

Rushing to his bathroom, Will approached the mirror cautiously. Perched on his head were two rounded animal ears of fur the same chocolate brown colour as his hair. Will raised shaking fingers and prodded one ear carefully. He could feel the silky texture of it, distinctly different from hair. He snapped his fingers. The ear in the reflection twitched at the sound.

Will snapped out of his reverie as he felt a soft brush of fur against his legs. Dread twisting in his stomach, he felt behind him only to feel the same fluffy texture. Swishing behind him in agitation was a long, brown, tapering animal tail with a black tip. Will delicately grabbed the tail. Yes, he could definitely feel it. By all of his sense’s accounts, it was real.

Staring in the mirror dazedly, Will contemplated his options. To be honest, he only had one viable option. This was clearly a hallucination of some sort, and the only person he could tell was his only friend, and on occasion impromptu psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter. Picking up the phone, and decidedly ignoring the feeling of fur brushing his legs as his tail twitched in distress, Will dialled Hannibal’s number.

One ring, two rings, three rings. Hannibal picked up with a polite, “Hello, Will,” and Will suddenly realised he had no idea what to say. “Will?” Hannibal prompted again, and Will managed to unstick his dry mouth to reply.

“I think I’m hallucinating,” he replied in a wobbly tone.

“What type of hallucination? Visual? Audio?”

“Um, visual. And I can, well, feel it.” Will could practically envision Hannibal’s raised eyebrows.

“Tactile as well? Yet you are aware you are hallucinating?”

“Well I don’t know what else it could be.”

“What do you see, dear Will?” Will blushed in embarrassment. How he was supposed to explain this, he had no idea.

“I, uh, have animal ears. And a tail.” There was a brief pause as Hannibal contemplated Will’s words.

“I believe it may be best if you came over to my house. If you are having a fully tactile hallucination, you may have something physiologically wrong, and I would like to check you over.”

Will let out a silent breath. That had to be it. He simply had a fever or something. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed. “I’ll just feed my dogs and head straight over.”

“Good, keep me updated if your hallucinations end or become more severe.” Despite the calm tone, Will was sure he could hear concern in Hannibal’s voice.

“Okay, bye.” Will hung up, uncertain on how to end the call. He went to pull on some clothes but paused as he was buttoning up his flannel shirt. It was just paranoia, he was sure, but he couldn’t help but feel like the appendages were real. Giving into his fear for now, he wound the tail around his stomach before readjusting his shirt. He also stuck a beanie over his ears. It was better safe than sorry, he reasoned to himself.

Tipping some dog food into the bowls for his pack, he grabbed his keys and headed for his car. He sat down and immediately winced. He had sat on his tail, and it had sent pain shooting through his nerves. Definitely a tactile hallucination. Adjusting himself so he was no longer leaning on his tail, he turned on his car and began the long drive to Hannibal’s house.  
*  
Pulling into Hannibal’s driveway Will parked his car. He fiddled with the beanie with one hand as he knocked on the door with the other. The door was opened swiftly by Hannibal, who ushered Will through the house and into the kitchen. Will was strangely touched by the worry he could sense from the usually stoic man. He also noticed that Hannibal’s cologne seemed rather stronger than usual, not that he was complaining. The man had good taste.

“How are you feeling now? Have the hallucinations ended?” Hannibal asked, touching his hand to Will’s forehead to check for a fever. Will resisted the urge to lean into the touch. He sighed and removed the beanie from his head.

“No, I still see and feel them- are you alright, Hannibal?” Hannibal had frozen and was currently staring in what looked to Will like a mix of confusion and awe at his head. With delicate fingers, Hannibal reached out and prodded at the ears partially hidden in his hair. Will felt an icy spike of fear twist in his heart. Could Hannibal see them too?

“It appears, dear Will, that you were not hallucinating.” Will’s stomach roiled in protest. How was he not hallucinating? The tail that he had managed to keep wrapped around his stomach slipped free and began to lash violently, responding to his fear. He only managed to stop the instinctive reaction when he caught Hannibal staring at it in fascination.

A small smile twitched at Hannibal’s lips, which was far too much for Will to deal with. “What?” he snapped, only to immediately sigh and mutter a reluctant, “Sorry, but why are you smiling?” when Hannibal’s eye twitched at his rudeness. He noticed his ears had lowered in apology and immediately raised them again.

“Irony is at work. At first guess, I would say the ears and tail you possess are that of the mongoose.” The conversation in the hotel room where Hannibal had compared him to that very creature flashed into his mind, causing a small scowl to crease his face. He gave up on controlling his new features, allowing the tail to swish and the ears to twitch freely.

Ignoring Hannibal’s apparent captivation Will began to pace anxiously around the kitchen. “What am I supposed to do? I can hardly show up to examine a crime scene looking like it’s Halloween! How is this even real?” 

“I believe you may need to call in sick until we can figure this out,” Hannibal replied to his rambling. “I wonder if you’ll possess any other features, such as immunity to snake venom.”

Will laughed balefully. “I’d rather not test my luck.” He caught Hannibal staring at his mouth. “What is it?” he asked nervously.

“Grin widely, showing your teeth please,” Hannibal ordered clinically. Will complied reluctantly, nervously eyeing Hannibal’s fascinated features. “It seems your incisors have been replaced with those of a mongoose as well.”

“Oh great, so I have fangs now as well? Really completing my Halloween costume here,” Will remarked sardonically. Sitting down in one of the chairs by the dining table, Will desperately laid his face in his hands. He honestly would have preferred to have been hallucinating at this point.

He felt Hannibal lay a hand on his shoulder. “It will be okay, Will. We will find a solution for this.” Will felt a strange urge to nuzzle into the hand but ignored it. He couldn’t deal with having the instincts of a mongoose. He could picture himself locked up somewhere, a nightmare that had commonly occurred to him but never with such clarity. Randomly developing animal features was even weirder than an empathy disorder.

Suddenly every single muscle in his body seemed to relax in sync as he melted into a content puddle. While he had been lost in his thoughts, Hannibal had moved his hand to the rounded ears on his head and begun to gently stroke them. Will blinked his eyes lazily as his hands fell by his sides. He knew he should protest. But he felt so comfortable and at ease in a way he never had before. A content noise rumbled up from his chest, the human- or perhaps mongoose- version of a purr.

Hannibal lifted his hands away from the silken ears, and Will felt as though he was coming out of a trance. He leapt uncertainly from the seat. “Um, I- I don’t know what that was. I’m sorry, Hannibal.” Will stared decidedly at the floor, pretending to himself that his blush was purely from embarrassment.

“It’s alright, Will, clearly you have some instincts from your mongoose side as well. I won’t begrudge you time to adjust to them,” Hannibal assured him mildly. Calming down, Will looked up gratefully and made direct eye contact with Hannibal. A flood of information hit him. Hannibal was enjoying this; he wanted Will by his side as an equal and content with every side of him. Most of all, Hannibal was a predator. He was the cobra.

Will’s eyes widened involuntarily, his tail freezing in place. An ex-surgeon. Theatrical. Unpredictable. Hannibal Lecter was the Chesapeake Ripper. And he wasn’t taking surgical trophies. He was eating them, feeding them to those around him. Still making direct eye contact with Hannibal, Will could tell when his revelation was recognised. The mask Hannibal seemed to permanently wear came down, and Will was staring straight into the soul of the predator.

There was a beat of the heart which seemed to stand frozen in time, Hannibal and Will content to gaze at each other and truly see. Then the moment passed, and Will darted into the hall aiming to escape. He could hear Hannibal bearing down behind him, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to unlock the door in time. Instead, he entered Hannibal’s study, slamming closed the door and locking it behind him.  
He went straight for the windows, hoping to open one and make it to his car. He cursed when he strained to open the window, only to discover it was locked. He could hear Hannibal rustling through things outside the study, presumably looking for the key.

Making a decision, Will retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialled Jack’s number. He might be killed, but Hannibal had to be captured. As it rang, he eyed the door nervously, listening carefully for any indication that Hannibal had found the key.

“You have reached the voicemail of Jack Crawford,” came an electronic voice from his phone, and Will cursed again. He heard the click of a key turning in a lock. Hannibal was coming. Desperate, Will waited for the beep and began to speak, backing away as the door opened and Hannibal stalked into the study. “Jack, I’ve found the Ripper, it’s-”

Will was cut off as Hannibal tackled him, ripping the phone from his hands and smashing it against the floor. Will squirmed, vainly trying to throw Hannibal off from him. He whined as Hannibal gently shushed him, reaching out for his ears. Realising what he was going to do, Will thrashed wildly but it did little to delay the inevitable.

Hannibal began to gently stroke along the smooth mongoose ears atop his head, and Will melted. He felt boneless, barely able to move in his relaxation. He had to escape. But he couldn’t quite remember why. He nuzzled his head softly against the hand, the content rumble echoing from his chest. Hannibal chuckled lightly above him.

“Dear Will, you never cease to amaze me. It’s rather fortunate your discovery occurred just as you developed these features. I fear I would have been unable to stop you otherwise. I will not hurt you, Will. I wish for you to understand me. And you will. For now, however, I feel it would be best if you had a little nap.”

Hannibal’s soft words echoed throughout Will’s mind. The only coherent thought he could form was how comfortable he was, how content. As Hannibal added a stroke to his tail, Will began to blink slowly. His eyes slid closed as he snuggled against Hannibal, who had moved from on top of him to beside him.

There was a brief moment of alertness as Hannibal picked him up bridal style, but the stroking resumed, and all Will could do was sink into the sensation of peace. A small part of his mind attempted resistance only to fall in line with the rest as he gave a sleepy yawn. He couldn’t fight the exhaustion the petting produced. He fell asleep to the soothing sensation of hands in his hair and the gentle rocking of Hannibal’s movements.


	2. Chapter 2

Will slowly came to awareness, turning to snuggle into his bed. The sheets seemed softer than usual. His memories came flooding back and he snapped awake. He was tucked into a bed in an unfamiliar room, presumably one of Hannibal’s. Throwing back the duvet, he attempted to jump out of bed only to get pulled to the ground. One of his legs was attached to the bed post by a leather anklet connected to a short chain.

Will cursed, examining the anklet. It was connected by a small lock that clearly required a key. Not for the first time, Will wished FBI training including a section on lock picking. A quick glance around the room revealed it to be a plain guest bedroom, barely furnished with only one exit at the door. He sat back on the bed, attempting to rake his hands angrily through his hair, only to be interrupted by the mongoose ears. A bitter smile etched itself onto his face. What even was his life? 

A quiet knock at the door of the room caused Will to look up as Hannibal entered. Now that he was without his ‘person suit’ Will could read him much more clearly. There was a surprising, and quite frankly worrying, amount of affection in his maroon gaze.

“Are you feeling well rested, my dear Will?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, I feel like it would have been better if I chose to go to sleep, or maybe if my best friend wasn’t a serial killing cannibal,” Will replied sarcastically, crossing his arms stubbornly and ignoring his frantically flicking tail.

“Your best friend? I’m flattered that you’d refer to me as such.”  
“That was not the point!”

“And yet you specified it anyway.” Will scowled, cursing his impulsiveness. If he gave Hannibal even an inch, he would take it and run a mile. And to top it off, Will wasn’t even sure what his endgame was. Why not kill him? It would’ve been far more convenient than kidnapping.

“So, you’ve got me imprisoned and at your mercy. What’s your sentence as the judge, jury and executioner? The death penalty?” Will could tell Hannibal had noticed his subject change, but he went along with it.

“My Mongoose, you are worth far more to me than a simple criminal. I intend to help you discover your true self, and nothing more.” A smile twitched on Hannibal’s lip. “Though I don’t deny the accusation of my current power.”

Will spluttered indignantly. “Did you just call me your mongoose?” At Hannibal’s warm gaze, he turned his away with a blush and continued gracelessly, “What do you mean my true self?”

“The predator lying underneath your sheep’s clothing. A different breed from me perhaps,” Hannibal smirked as he finished with, “the mongoose instead of the snake.” Will scowled.

“That wasn’t funny, Hannibal.” As Hannibal’s smirked widened, Will’s mind was suddenly barraged with memories of sentences from previous conversations with Hannibal. “Oh for- are you telling me you’ve been making cannibal jokes straight to our faces this entire time?”

Hannibal’s eyes sparkled with warmth at Will’s revelation. “I’m afraid you’ve caught me red-handed, dear Will.” Will kept a straight face, but his ears twitched with reluctant humour. He had to admit, it was ballsy. Perfectly happy to pretend Hannibal hadn’t noticed his unwilling amusement, Will went on.

“I’m not going to be a docile pet, Hannibal. With every breath, I will be attempting to escape. I won’t give in to you.”

“You are no mere pet or amusement. You have potential far exceeding anyone I have ever met. You can understand me. And I plan to harness that gift. Besides,” Hannibal chuckled lightly, “you would not be the person I have come to respect if it was going to be that simple. I will enjoy your realisations that I am right when they finally arrive. But I will enjoy your fight just as much.”

Will glowered at him. He was feeling unusually drained of energy for having slept so long. Though, now that he was thinking of it, he wasn’t sure when he had last eaten. His stomach decided to betray his inner thoughts with a low grumble. Hannibal’s delighted smile only caused him to glare even harder. “It appears that in my distraction with our conversation, I have forgotten to feed you, dear Will. I apologise for my lapse in politeness.”

Will watched with astonishment as Hannibal produced a key from the pocket of his suit. Hannibal was going to release him. No, Will revised mentally, he was going to unlock the cuff at his ankle. He was still trapped, regardless. Even knowing this, Will couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of relief as he was freed from the chain. In a dark part of his mind, he had worried that he would be imprisoned in this bland guest room for the rest of his life.

Will stood up carefully, stretching out the leg which had been chained. Despite his attempts to remain stoic, his tail tip twitched side to side in unrestrained gratefulness. Will was at a serious disadvantage with his new features. And that was something he couldn’t afford. In the small, desperate part of his mind that craved attention, he knew that if Hannibal’s affection was as genuine as his empathy was screaming it was, he wouldn’t be able to hold up a strong resistance. If Hannibal discovered this, Will’s morality would be doomed.

Will restrained a sigh at his thoughts. He would not give up. Distracting himself more than anything else, Will asked, “What time is it?”

“Around seven in the evening. Just in time for dinner,” Hannibal replied, the grin on his face practically feral. Will’s ears flattened and his tail flicked slowly as he focused in on Hannibal with his empathy.

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m not eating any meat you give me.” Will could tell he had just fallen into a trap of some variety by the satisfied cast of Hannibal’s face. It was too late to retract the statement however, and even knowing it was a trap he would have said it anyway. He would not eat human meat.

“Ah, I had a feeling I would have to inform you of this, dear Will. Due to your acquisition of the teeth of a mongoose, I doubt you will be able to survive on plant life alone. While you were asleep, I researched your features, and I can say with a high degree of certainty that you are part slender mongoose, a primarily carnivorous animal.”

Will clenched his fists as his tail lowered. “If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said you somehow did this to me considering how well it’s working out for you,” he grumbled, gesturing in frustration at his head. Hannibal startled him by moving his hand to stroke his ears. Will flinched away, his tail puffing out in shock, but Hannibal merely smiled softly and lowered his hand.

“But you do know better, my dear Will. Your gift will not allow you any less,” Hannibal said in the hushed voice of near reverence usually reserved for church services. Or people in love, his mind supplied unhelpfully. He shoved that thought away viciously. He couldn’t allow such poisonous ideas to take root, or he would fall. His morals would decay, and he would give into his selfish desire of happiness with a monster.

The uncannily affectionate moment passed as Hannibal spoke, “Now, I believe it would be best to eat. I assume you are hungry?” Will gave a reluctant nod. Despite Hannibal’s words, he would be holding off on eating meat for as long as his new biology could stand. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t eat at all. He needed strength to escape.

He followed Hannibal out of the guest room and down the stairs towards the kitchen. He memorised the route as they walked. Hopefully, that would turn out useful. As they entered the hallway that lead to the kitchen, Will’s nose twitched. His stomach gave a powerful rumble as he picked up the scent of cooking, including the subtle smells of spices. It seemed his senses had improved.

He caught Hannibal’s gratified smile out of the corner of his eye. Will gave an unimpressed sniff as they entered the kitchen, but that only allowed the delicious scent to further flood his mind. He really hoped there was no human contributing to that smell. Knowing Hannibal, however, he was sure there would be. Even when he didn’t know about the whole ‘moonlighting as a serial killer’ thing, Will had been aware that his friend had a manipulative streak. He hadn’t minded though. He was just thrilled to finally have a friend who liked him for, well, him.

Will was startled out of his musings by the sound of Hannibal’s voice. “I do so wish I could see inside that wonderful mind of yours, Will. What were you lost in?” Will blinked as he realised Hannibal had set the table while he was lost in his thoughts.

“Just wondering if you were going to be an asshole and bring out the human meat already,” Will snapped, but instead of looking insulted at his rudeness Hannibal looked rather charmed. His tail lowered at his failure to ruffle the man. He needed to gain an advantage, and quickly.

“I’m sure you already know the answer, so I won’t bother confirming or denying that,” Hannibal replied, amusement clear in his tone despite his straight face. Will reluctantly sat down as Hannibal went to retrieve the food. He could attempt to escape, he supposed, but Will knew it would be unsuccessful. He was tired, hungry and confused where Hannibal was at full strength. Never mind the fact he was sure Hannibal would not have left him alone without a backup plan.

Hannibal re-entered the room carrying two plates filled with admittedly wonderful smelling food. Will’s instincts fought each other, his human morality turning his stomach at the smell and his new-found predatory instincts causing him to practically salivate. He eyed Hannibal, scowling as his empathy picked up that Hannibal thought he was adorable attempting to deny his ‘true nature’.

His scowl only deepened further as Hannibal set the plate in front of him. “A honey glazed roast, served with pearl barley and stuffed onions,” Hannibal announced the dish. The lack of specific meat mentioned solidified Will’s suspicions. Will usually enjoyed watching as Hannibal peacocked his way through meals, though he wondered how he had never picked up the connotations of that. Now, all he could do was stare apprehensively at the meal placed before him.

“Eat, my darling, before it gets cold.” Will’s head snapped up to face Hannibal at the pet name, his tail whipping wildly behind him, only to realise that was the exact reaction Hannibal had been fishing for when he met his eyes. He was attempting to distract Will from his own thoughts. It would almost have been sweet, if not for the fact he was doing so in an attempt to subtly convince Will to commit cannibalism. He supposed that was the danger with Hannibal for him. He knew exactly what Will wanted. He knew how to help him. He was just using it to influence him negatively.

Will began to pick at the vegetables on the plate, decidedly avoided anything that had even touched the meat. He glanced up from under his eyelashes to see Hannibal giving him a concerned look. Honestly, he would have preferred anger. It would have given Hannibal less opportunity to slip under his defences. 

Hannibal took a bite of his own food, before sighing and placing down his fork. “Dear Will, is there nothing I could do to convince you to eat? You need the protein,” he said, his eyes creased in displeasure.

“You mean apart from actual animal meat?” Will replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Ducking his head to avoid Hannibal’s disapproval, Will considered his choices. Priority number one was escape. Though he felt ill at the thought, he could think of a fair trade for eating. He just had to convince himself, and perhaps Hannibal, that it was worth it.

“A trade,” Will murmured quietly after a few seconds of contemplation. He took a deep breath and made eye contact. He needed to show he would not be cowed, no matter how proud Hannibal looked at his efforts. “For each bite of meat I eat, you have to answer a question.”

“A quid pro quo?” Hannibal looked ecstatic. Will could tell he had already guessed that Will had ulterior motives, but felt the reward was high enough to indulge him. That was alright. Will could work with being indulged, as long as he got his answers.

With Hannibal motioning for Will to ask a question first, Will considered his options carefully. He needed to ensure he got his money’s worth out of the questions, especially considering the high moral sacrifice he was spending. His tail flicked slowly as he concentrated.

“Has my disappearance been noticed yet?” he asked, diplomatically avoiding the word abduction. Hannibal’s lips twitched, clearly noting the sour note in Will’s voice despite his attempts to remain tactful but he answered nonetheless. 

“Yes, Jack called me while you were asleep. He was quite frantic about that voicemail you left him,” Hannibal replied, good humour clear in his voice. Will didn’t understand why he wasn’t holding a grudge over that, but decided it was best to just accept it. “He asked if I had heard from you. I told him only this morning, when you reported you may be hallucinating. All true, you will recall.”

Will scowled. He had no doubt Hannibal had phrased it in such a way to imply he had only hallucinated knowing the Ripper, and perhaps ran away due to visions. “And he believed you?” Will attempted for incredulity, but he knew it was a sad reality that Jack had far more trust in Hannibal than in Will.

“Now, now, Will. I believe it’s time for you to hold up your side of the bargain,” Hannibal chastised. His eyes were unblinking, taking in every reaction on Will’s face as he stared down at the plate. His ears were swivelling, unsettled, as he speared a small piece of meat on his fork. Trembling, he lifted the fork up to his mouth. 

With a deep breath, reminding himself that it was a necessary part of his escape, Will ate the forkful. Hannibal’s eyes lit up at the movement, a predatory yet satisfied smile spreading across his face. As Will chewed, he couldn’t help but notice the delicious taste. He had hoped the knowledge of the meat would sour the flavour, but it seemed Hannibal’s cooking was incapable of being horrible.  
Will watched as Hannibal’s eyes traced his throat when he swallowed. Will narrowed his eyes at Hannibal’s smug expression, taking a sip of water as Hannibal practically preened in front of him. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Hannibal asked, his hand twitching as if he was restraining himself from reaching out to Will.

“Yes, it was, actually,” Will said stubbornly.

“I can tell when you’re lying, my dear Will,” Hannibal crooned in an aggravatingly affectionate manner. “Your tail is announcing your pleasure.” Will glanced at his tail, which was raised and swishing gently. His cheeks turned hot in embarrassment. He couldn’t deny his unwilling enjoyment of the meal when his body language was making it so obvious. He needed to gain control of himself.

“My turn,” he blustered, unwilling to admit out loud that he had indeed liked the meat. It was no doubt in part due to his new instincts and in part due to Hannibal’s expertise, but regardless he couldn’t stand it. He felt immoral. Dirty. Flawed. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Will asked his next question.

“How long do you plan to keep me here? Eventually something will go wrong, and someone will find me.” Will tried to keep the sickly uncertainty out of his voice, but he doubted he succeeded. Hannibal was nothing if not meticulous. If anyone could keep him captive indefinitely, it would be him. Especially with his new instincts disadvantaging him, making him want to cuddle up to the person he once considered a friend.

“As long as it takes, my darling Will. I have full confidence that I can help you discover yourself. And that I can convince you of my love for you.” Will started, his ears facing forward in full attention. Love? He had caught affection, amusement and caring from his empathy. Hannibal had been using pet names. He hadn’t killed him. Yet, Will couldn’t picture anyone having such deep feelings for him, never mind Hannibal. Hannibal was refined, elegant and polite. Will was a freakish, rude FBI profiler who was antisocial and had somehow developed mongoose features.

Noting Will’s disbelief, Hannibal simply smiled and continued. “I love you, Will. You have endeared yourself to me in both personality and intelligence. Not to mention, your looks that may have been painted by Botticelli himself. I had intended a slow seduction, but you exceeded my expectations.” Will couldn’t help the pink blush that stained his features. He rarely got compliments, never mind ones so sincere.

He was sure he looked like a startled rabbit, or mongoose his mind provided unhelpfully, but he couldn’t seem to open his mouth to reply. How do you respond to your cannibalistic best friend pronouncing his undying love for you and saying he had intended to seduce you? Will, even with all his empathy, had no idea how to react.

Thankfully, Hannibal was aware of Will’s astonished silence, and so continued answering the question as if he hadn’t just proclaimed his intentions of love and seduction. “As for your assertation that someone will discover you, I think even you don’t truly believe it will happen. If it does, I will simply take you and run. I will not abandon you, mylimasis. Not when I am so close to truly having you.” Will cocked his head in confusion at the foreign word, but Hannibal didn’t translate.

“I haven’t agreed to anything, Hannibal. The second I have an opportunity to escape, I’m taking it. You won’t change me.”

Hannibal chuckled lightly. “Dear Will, I already have.” Will opened his mouth to protest, but Hannibal cut him off before he had the chance. “I believe you have your side of the deal to complete.” Will shot Hannibal a look to tell him he would be coming back to the subject but speared some more meat on his fork and took another reluctant bite. The worst part was that Hannibal was right; despite his morals and guilt, he couldn’t keep from enjoying the food.

Ignoring the way Hannibal’s intense gaze followed his movements, he quickly chewed and swallowed the bite. His final question was perhaps the least important, and in the grand scheme of things not worth eating more meat. But he had to know, regardless.

“One more question: are my dogs okay? Who’s taking care of them?” Technically, that was two questions but hopefully Hannibal would allow it. From the softening of Hannibal’s entire countenance, and the radiating sympathy Will was picking up, he was hopeful.

“Your dogs are perfectly fine, dear Will. Alana has taken them in while you are considered missing. I suspect she will take great care of them.” Will hesitated, his ears twitching and his tail held stiffly behind him. He could sense Hannibal’s amusement; clearly, he was able to tell that Will wanted to make a request. “Yes, mylimasis? What is it you desire?” He prodded when Will stayed silent.

“Can- would it be possible for you to ask Alana if you could take care of one?” Will muttered, eyes downcast along with his ears and tail. He had already prepared for the worst, and so was unsurprised when he heard Hannibal sigh.

“I doubt I could do so without drawing her suspicions, even if unconsciously. I’m sorry,” Hannibal replied and, if Will was honest, he appreciated the genuine sympathy. As it was, he simply frowned, his ears and tail drooping even more.

“It was stupid anyway,” Will said, intent to leave it at that. Before Hannibal could speak again, Will took another small forkful of meat and shoved it in his mouth. It was probably concerning that his guilt couldn’t affect the taste, but that the thought of losing his dogs caused it to turn to ash. Swallowing quickly, Will waited for Hannibal to make the next move. His day had been far too emotionally charged to even consider escaping, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Will locked onto Hannibal’s maroon eyes for the briefest moment, but it was enough to allow a certain understanding to pass between the two men. Hannibal nodded slightly to Will as he spoke, “You’ve had a tiring day emotionally, I’m sure. Please follow me.”

He would resist tomorrow, Will promised himself. But for now, he simply followed after Hannibal, waiting while he cleared the dishes. He wrapped his tail around his leg as he passively trailed Hannibal up the stairs. He flinched when, instead of continuing down the corridor to the guest room, Hannibal paused in front of a different door. When he opened the door, Will could instantly tell this was Hannibal’s bedroom. It was furnished to match his aesthetics, with a large, comfy looking bed and plush, red carpeting. 

Will stood uncertainly at the threshold while Hannibal rooted through his drawers, clearly looking for something. Hannibal let out a small noise of satisfaction as he retreated holding a baggy shirt. He passed it to Will, who only just realised that this was going to be his pyjamas. He edged into the room as Hannibal looked expectantly at him, motioning towards what looked like the door of an en-suite.   
Will entered, barely looking around the sparkling clean bathroom. The emotional impact of all the shocks were truly catching up on him. He pulled off his flannel shirt and jeans, putting on the baggy shirt which awkwardly reached to just above his knees. He would protest, but he couldn’t work up the energy.

Returning to the bedroom, Will saw that Hannibal had also changed into pyjamas. More importantly, however, he realised the door to the room had been closed. A spike of adrenaline made him perk up again as he glared at Hannibal.

“I am not sleeping in the same bed as you,” he spat out. Hannibal simply hummed in reply. Will watched warily as Hannibal went about his nightly routine. Only when he had finished preparing himself for bed did Hannibal finally turn to Will. As he approached Will realised what he was planning.

“No,” Will warned as he backed away. “Hannibal, do not-” he was cut off as his back hit the wall. He had nowhere else to run. Despite this, he attempted to squirm away from the possessive hands reaching towards his ears. Ultimately, all he was doing was tiring himself further, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

Finally, Hannibal managed to reach the ears and stroke their silky-smooth surface. Will’s body immediately became lax, unable to resist the calming influence of the gently petting fingers. Hannibal picked up his slack body, still stroking the ears with one hand. Unconsciously, Will wrapped his tail around Hannibal’s arm, causing the other man to chuckle quietly. He lightly laid Will on the sheets, before lying down beside him and pulling the covers over them both. Will instinctively cuddled up against Hannibal, the rumbling purr like noise echoing from his chest. He could feel the other man’s deceptively gentle hands in his hair and fur as he drifted off, an unwillingly serene smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a beta and mostly write at night, so if anyone notices typos etc, feel free to point them out :) I'm trying to only post a chapter when I have the next one written, so that means chapter 3 is finished. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Will woke to the foreign yet overwhelmingly soothing sensation of being snuggled against a warm chest. It took him five whole seconds of nuzzling against his human pillow before realisation struck, and the memories of the past day came flooding in. Will flinched back as though he had been burned. Hannibal sighed. He was wide awake and probably had been for a while.

Will sat up, running his hands frustratedly through his wild bed-head of curls. “You need to stop doing that,” he protested hotly. Hannibal only gave a small laugh in response, as though his concerns were unfounded. “No, seriously,” he repeated with a glare, “stop taking advantage of my… of this.” He grabbed his tail and tugged harshly, as though he could pull it off, wincing at the pain.

Hannibal tutted, sitting up as well, and gently grabbed his hand to remove it from his tail. He kept hold of Will’s hand and began to trace patterns lightly on it as he spoke, “Easy, my dear Will. Don’t hurt yourself. I understand you are struggling to accept your changes, but I find them rather delightful. I’m sure you cannot deny that last night was the best sleep you had gotten in quite a while.”

Will turned his head away. Admittedly, Hannibal was right, but Will was not going to tell him that. It seemed that Hannibal understood his silence as confirmation, however, and continued on. “Besides, the content noises you make are most adorable, and I enjoy watching you sleep peacefully.” Will’s eyes flicked to the floor as a light blush coated his face.

“You can’t just say stuff like that, Hannibal!” Will protested.

“Why not? I only speak the truth. You, mylimasis, deserve serene nights of rest and the most joyful of days. I want to give you all of it, if only you will let me.” Hannibal’s adoring tone combined with his accent was almost hypnotic, and Will could feel himself being pulled into the vision. More restful nights snuggling a warm body. No intense pressure to solve crimes. Eating the best of meals with a loving companion. Meals made of people, Will reminded himself hopelessly, shaking his head to break the trance.

“No, Hannibal,” Will replied eventually, with a much softer voice than he had intended. He couldn’t continue, but Hannibal already understood. Hannibal pouted, something than almost caused Will to break into incredulous laughter, before letting go of Will’s hand and standing from the bed. Will watched him warily as Hannibal walked around the room. Despite Hannibal’s words and Will’s hopes, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was being truthful. No one had ever shown such interest in him.

Hannibal unlocked the door of his bedroom and lead Will down to the kitchen for breakfast. Will wandered around the kitchen as Hannibal cooked, examining every inch as discreetly as he could for useful items. He got the feeling Hannibal knew what he was doing but wasn’t going to stop him. Clearly, Hannibal thought Will could not succeed. Or perhaps he had cleared out anything that could help him.

Eyeing the knives, despite knowing he never would be able to pull off stealing one, Will asked, “What are you going to do to me while you are at work?” 

Hannibal deftly cracked eggs as he answered, “My darling Will, as much as I wish I could trust you to roam the house, I’m afraid for the time being I will have to leave you chained in the guest room. I will, of course, provide you with water and a snack, as well as a book if you so desire.”

Will resisted the urge to groan, only nodding in response. He had suspected he would be restrained somewhere, but it wasn’t nice to have it confirmed. His tail flicked out his discomfort at the suggestion, but he decided to ignore it for the time being.

Soon the scent of cooking perforated the air, and Will halted his pacing in favour of watching Hannibal. He was in his element, making a dramatic display of cooking even a simple breakfast of sausage, bacon and eggs. Will would have snorted at the theatrics, if the thought of what exactly that bacon and sausage was made of didn’t enter his head. Instead he simply sat at the small dining table in the kitchen and laid his head on its cool surface.

Finally, Hannibal was finished and laid two plates on the table as Will lifted his head. He ate the eggs, but stubbornly left the meat. When Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him, as if to question his reasons, Will couldn’t help but say smugly, “I don’t have any questions right now, I’m afraid.”

Hannibal cast an amused look at Will, as though he was simply being mischievous. “I suppose you don’t, though I do have to remind you that the more you eat the longer you have out of the guest room.” Will’s ears drooped slightly at the reminder, but he simply shook his head and waited for Hannibal to finish.

After a few more minutes, Hannibal collected the dishes and brought them to the sink. Feeling uncomfortable, Will offered quietly, “Do you want me to dry?” Hannibal’s face lit up, as though Will had offered much more than simply to help with a chore and, in a way, he supposed he had. He had offered to help Hannibal voluntarily. With something small, it was true, but even Will knew that things like the relationship Hannibal was supposedly attempting to establish always started small. Will glowered at the floor but didn’t retract his offer.

Hannibal nodded, washed the dishes and then set out to make a few snacks while Will dried. It wasn’t particularly surprising that Hannibal made his snacks instead of buying them, but it was still amusing to see how pretentious the man could be. His tail tip twitched in his good humour, but he stilled it when he caught Hannibal watching.

As Will put away the last of the dishes, he lingered at the sink. It might be completely useless, but he couldn’t bear leaving the kitchen with nothing to help him escape. While Hannibal was concentrating on the food, he grabbed a small cloth and hid it under his- or rather Hannibal’s- shirt. It was basically worthless. But maybe he could figure out something.

Hannibal gathered the snacks into plastic Tupperware and lifted two bottles of water. Will reluctantly followed as Hannibal lead him up to the guest room, his ears flattened against his head in his dread. He did not want to be locked up. Images of being confined in a psychiatric hospital had often haunted his dreams, and this wasn’t much different. But there was nothing he could do. He followed Hannibal into the sparsely furnished room, the hardwood floor cold against his bare feet.

He flinched as he saw Hannibal pick up the leather anklet. Will watched as Hannibal fiddled around with the chain until he could pull it further from the bed post. “It’s adjustable,” Will muttered in realisation under his breath, only to cross his arms and twitch his tail when Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him.

“Of course, my darling Will. I wouldn’t leave you unable to walk at all, I know you prefer to move when stressed. It should have just enough reach for you to go to the en-suite if needed.” Will knew he shouldn’t feel grateful for such a limited freedom when it was Hannibal who was restraining him in the first place, but he couldn’t help giving a brief nod to convey his gratitude. Hannibal took it with grace and approached him with the anklet. 

Will couldn’t help it. At the sight of the shackle he recoiled reflexively and began to back away, his tail lashing wildly behind him. “Will,” Hannibal said disapprovingly, “You know I have to do this.”  
“But I can’t- I can’t just let you chain me in here! I can’t do it, Hannibal, I can’t!” The words spilled rapidly out of Will’s mouth as his chest tightened and his breathing sped up. “Please don’t make me,” Will whispered in a lost tone.

Hannibal kept his tone calm and even as he spoke, despite the concern in his eyes, “Easy, my dear Will, easy. I understand. I know it’s scary for you. Would it be better if I relax you before I attach the chain?”

“Relax me- you mean pet my ears and turn me into a puddle?” Will retorted in a sharp tone, trying to cover his embarrassment. However, he couldn’t hide the slight loosening of his shoulders of the perking of his ears in interest at the idea. He would never willing let himself be tied up. But if Hannibal used the way he virtually collapsed at the slightest pet to his ears, he wouldn’t need to.

Hannibal gave a small smile in relief as he noticed Will’s panic waning slightly. “I presume that is the closet to agreement I will get from you currently.” Hannibal set down the chain and began advancing on Will.

“Wait, I don’t know if this is a good idea. I’m not sure about this!” Will tried as he backed away, but Hannibal ignored his words and brushed his fingers over the silky fur. Will felt the unfortunately familiar relaxation seep into his bones as his legs turned to jelly. As Will sank into his arms Hannibal gave a light chuckle and lifted him to where he had left the chain while continuing his stroking. Will automatically began to make the purr-like noise in his chest as he nuzzled lightly against Hannibal’s arms.

“My Mongoose, you are adorable when you let yourself relax,” Hannibal cooed to him. “I shall be back as soon as I can. Please, do not concern yourself with anything today. Take some time to just be.” Will nodded against Hannibal’s chest, so caught up in the soothing feelings he would have agreed to anything in that moment.

Will was startled back to reality by the click of a lock as Hannibal released his ears. He stared at the chain attached to his leg. He had let that happen, so caught up in his stupid mongoose instincts. He needed to gain control of himself. He shook the remaining content feelings off as he scowled up at Hannibal.

“Goodbye, mylimasis. I hope you truly will let yourself relax.” With that Hannibal left the room, locking the door behind him. Will couldn’t help but wonder if it had been Hannibal’s intention to hold someone captive when he had placed the lock on the outside of the door. Will waited a few minutes until he heard the noise of the front door closing. Then he removed the cloth from his shirt, sprang up from his position on the bed and began to examine the room.

Ignoring the chain as best he could, Will knelt down to look under the bed. Nothing but dust. His nose and ears twitched in agitation as he stood and began examining the rest of the room. Apart from the bedside table, which held a lamp and the snacks Hannibal had provided, and the bed there was no furniture in the room. With little hope, he looked under the table. Nothing. Tail swishing at his lack of success, Will next made his way to the bathroom.

It was rather lavish for a guest bathroom, but Will supposed he could have expected nothing less from Hannibal ‘I eat rude people’ Lecter. There was a shower filled with toiletries- Will shivered involuntarily when he realised the scents were ones recommended to him by Hannibal in the past- and the sink even had a mirror above it.

First things first, Will wanted a shower. Regardless of how much he wanted to immediately start attempting escape, he wouldn’t put it past Hannibal to linger for a while. He peeled off the shirt and started the shower, closing the door as much as he could with the chain in the way. The spray of warm water was soothing on his skin, but he couldn’t relax. His mind was racing far too much.

A plan was forming in his mind to get free of the chain, but there was one major road block. The door. He had no idea how he was going to unlock it. From what he had seen, it was a simple spring lock. Shame he didn’t have a credit card, he thought with a bitter smile. Then he froze. The smile on his face turned genuine as his ideas began to solidify into an actual method.

Having finished with his shower, Will turned off the water. He grabbed a towel, examining it as he dried himself. Too thick. The cloth he had stolen from the kitchen should work but wouldn’t provide much protection. Will pulled back on the baggy shirt, having no idea where his own clothes were, and retrieved the small cloth. 

With a sharp breath in preparation, Will wound the cloth as best he could around his knuckles and punched the mirror with all of his strength. It shattered, the cracked pieces falling into the sink. Will cursed as he pulled his hand back and checked it over. Some small cuts, but the cloth had worked well enough.

Will grabbed the sharpest looking piece he could find and returned to the bedroom. He sat on the bed. After a brief moment of thought, he stuffed the cloth between his leg and the leather shackle. With the very tip of his tail twitching minutely in concentration, Will began to cut the leather. It was slow going, as he had to adjust his hold constantly to avoid cutting his hand, but eventually Will managed to saw through the restraint. The cracked glass caught onto the cloth as the leather snapped.

Will laughed in unrestrained relief. His ears twitched and his tail swished freely in victory. He stood, shaking the remnants of the chain off of his leg, and turned his attention to the next task. He lifted one of the Tupperware from the table and removed its lid. Ignoring the food contained within, he turned the lid around in his hands testing its thickness and flexibility.

With a nod, Will turned towards the door. He attempted to jam the lid between the door and the door frame but found that with the lip that let the lid connect to the tub it was too thick. Will frowned in thought. Turning back to the bed, he lifted the slice of broken glass and wrapped the cloth around its base, creating a makeshift handle. Using the jagged glass Will began to cut the plastic lip off of the lid.

Once the lid had been cut to size, Will allowed himself a smirk. The cloth had turned out to be useful after all. He jimmied the lid between the door once again, satisfied when it fit. Straining, he bent the plastic to the side and was rewarded with a click as the door sprung open. Despite Will’s joy, a sliver of doubt was pricking the back of his mind: was it really this easy? Will knew the Chesapeake Ripper as methodical and unrelenting. Even with Hannibal’s claims of love, it seemed out of character for his escape to be so simple. 

Shrugging off his doubt for now, Will entered the hallway. His first stop was Hannibal’s bedroom. He found his old clothes neatly folded on the bathroom floor minus shoes, which cause another prickle of anxiety. Will pulled them on, leaving the pyjama shirt on Hannibal’s bed. Socks would have to be enough. He carefully made his way down the stairs, an uneasy thrill filling him with each step. 

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He burst into a run, heading straight for the front door. While Hannibal’s office was just next to his house, the windows didn’t face the driveway. If he was quiet, he could make it.

Will fumbled with the lock, before managing to open the door. His tail swished madly as he felt the breeze ruffle his still wet hair. He crossed the threshold. His nose twitched as he picked up a familiar scent. A pair of hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him back into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 was fighting me a bit, but I finally have it done so here's number 3 :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will has a bit of a panic attack in this chapter, so feel free to skip this one if that's uncomfortable for you.

Will fought ruthlessly against Hannibal’s strong grip, but it was for nought. He watched despairingly as the man closed the door, blocking out his view of freedom. Hannibal released his grip. Will cast his eyes to the ground as his body tensed and his tail puffed. He prepared himself for anger.

He was not prepared, however, for a gentle finger to tip his head up, forcing him to make eye contact. Hannibal’s eyes were disappointed, but not surprised. Will was almost certain he even caught a glimmer of pride. 

“My dear Will, what a cunning boy you are,” Hannibal said softly. “I had assumed you would try to escape, of course, but I underestimated just how resourceful you are. I will endeavour not to do so again.” Will was speechless. Hannibal truly seemed proud of him, not even a hint of a frown on his face. Though it was clear he would rather Will stayed with him voluntarily, he seemed to be enjoying watching Will’s imagination at work.

Seemingly able to sense the question flitting through Will’s mind, Hannibal revealed, “The chain sends a signal to my phone if it is damaged. I also have several other measures in place but,” he gave Will a warm look, as though he could think of nothing more delightful, “I believe you would then surpass them if I told you about them.”

Will stared blankly at Hannibal. The only sign of the oncoming storm was the slight twitching that echoed through his entire body, from his ears to his tail. Then his knees gave out, and the only thing keeping him from falling was Hannibal’s swift reaction, as he grabbed onto Will’s waist and pulled him close. Will couldn’t even find it in himself to care.

“My dear Will, are you alright?” Hannibal whispered into his hair as he hugged him. A hysterical combination of a laugh and a sob bubbled up from Will’s throat. He snapped his mouth shut and swallowed before attempting again.

“No. No, I’m not. My entire world has turned on its head in the space of a day and I have no clue what to do. The only person I’ve ever trusted turned out to be the serial killer I’ve been chasing, I woke up with animal ears and I have no idea how, and I can’t even seem to control myself!” The words rushed forward, beyond Will’s ability to restrain. He was horrified by how much of his hand he was revealing, but he had no way to stop. The words wanted to be spoken.

“I don’t know how my dogs are, I can’t seem to understand- never mind stop- my feelings and I keep feeling the stupidest, weirdest urges like cuddling up to you for no reason and I can’t stop it. I can’t! I don’t even know how this happened and I just want to hug a dog or twenty and cry, but I can’t even do that because now we’re back to the ‘my best friend was making murder art and kidnapped me’ part of this shit!”

“And you’re not even mad with me, which makes everything ten times harder! At least if you were a monster, I wouldn’t feel so conflicted. But you’re not! I just- I can’t-” Will broke off as he began hyperventilating, every breath catching raggedly in his chest. 

Hannibal had been silent, allowing Will to rant and rave his feelings out. But now he pulled Will closer and began to gently console him, “Deep breaths, my darling Will. In. And out. Allow your mind to still for now. Just breathe.” Will took in a shuddering breath before slowly letting it out. He repeated the exercise as Hannibal began gently running his hands through Will’s hair, pointedly avoiding the mongoose ears for the time being.

As Will began to calm, exhaustion crashed over him. He leaned heavily on Hannibal, who lowered them both to the floor. Will was conflicted. He wanted to know what Hannibal was thinking, if he would take advantage of what Will had revealed in his breakdown. But eye contact was essentially unthinkable with the sickening feelings swirling in his head.

Will lifted his gaze until it was focused on the lower half of Hannibal’s face. When he noticed the soft upturn of his lips, he couldn’t help but make eye contact, no matter the cost. He had to know. The amount of affection, of love, in Hannibal’s maroon gaze was staggering. Despite his initial aversion, Will couldn’t find it in himself to look away.

“Mylimasis, I could never even have hoped to find such a perfect match as you,” Hannibal murmured, looking almost dazed by the depths of his own love. “It’s alright to feel conflicted. Your new instincts combined with your strong sense of justice must be fighting fiercely in that dear head of yours. But they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

Hannibal’s lips twitched in humour as he continued, “You said it yourself after all. Doing bad things to bad people feels good.” Will would have protested that it wasn’t nearly as simple as Hannibal was making it out to be, but he couldn’t find it in himself to interrupt the steady flow of affection he was receiving. So, he merely sank further into Hannibal’s arms as he allowed his words to take root in the dry soil of his mind.

“As for your urges for contact, I certainly wouldn’t object to you cuddling into my arms.” Will blushed lightly, but his ears twitched in pleasure at the idea. “I won’t reject you. Indulge in any of your instincts, my darling, and I won’t berate you for a single one. I dare say I might enjoy you allowing your natural self to peek over the walls in your mind.”

“Hannibal, I can’t- how am I supposed to-”

“Easy, my dear Will. You are not supposed to do anything. All I want from you, is for you to be yourself. I will have you in whatever capacity you will allow.” One of Hannibal’s hands drifted from Will’s hair to gently cup his face. “But I require nothing from you. Rest assured that I truly want what is best for you, Will.”

“That’s the problem, Hannibal. You’re a cannibalistic serial killer who only wants the best for me and will accept me for myself. How do I figure out what to do?”

“The only one who can answer that is you, my dear. I must, of course, keep you here for my own safety, and for that I do apologise. But beyond that, it is your choice whether to accept me, spurn me or land somewhere in the middle. And I want that decision to be your own. Although,” Hannibal added with a gentle laugh, “I won’t deny I do have my own preference.”

“I-I need time to think.”

“Of course, my darling. Take all the time you need.” As Hannibal went to stand, Will had a sudden urge he couldn’t quite suppress. He gently tugged on Hannibal’s hand and, when Hannibal looked at him in question, Will placed a gentle kiss on Hannibal’s cheek. Quickly pulling back with his own cheeks burning and his tail curled in anxiety, he checked for Hannibal’s reaction.

Hannibal raised a shuddering hand to his cheek, his eyes glazed with tenderness. “Oh, dear Will,” he breathed, “thank you.” Will gave him a small, uncertain smile. With surprising speed, Hannibal wrapped Will in a comforting hug, causing Will to give a little squeak. After a moment, however, he enfolded his arms around Hannibal in return.

“I still haven’t decided, you know,” Will mumbled into Hannibal’s chest.

“I know, mylimasis.”

“Hannibal?”

“Yes, my darling Will?”

“Did you just smell me?” Will could feel Hannibal’s chuckle vibrating through his chest.

“It’s difficult to avoid. The soaps I chose perfectly complement your scent.”

“That’s weird, Hannibal,” Will complained, but with no real heat.

“Says you, my dear. I have caught you doing the same ever since you acquired your new features,” Hannibal teased gently. Will snorted into his chest but said no more.


	5. Chapter 5

After several minutes of simply hugging each other tightly, Hannibal began to reluctantly pull back with a pout. Will was loath to admit it, but Hannibal’s pout was rather cute. “My dear Will, much as I would like to remain in this position, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

Will’s ears perked in interest, and he raised his eyebrows as he waited for Hannibal to continue. He wasn’t sure what could be discussed; despite the concessions Hannibal was making to him, he was still a captive. He stood up, mimicking Hannibal’s movements.

“I am having someone for dinner tonight,” Hannibal said with a smile. “Normally on such an occasion I would need to lock you in a room, but due to the circumstances I would be willing to let you join me. I will not force you, however. I know you are not fond of such things.”

Will’s eyes narrowed and his tail flicked in his focus. Why would Hannibal risk his discovery? There was only one reason he could think of. “Are you going to kill this person?” he asked bluntly. Hannibal let out a delighted murmur, his eyes warm with pride.

“Oh Will, how delightfully sharp you are.” Will scowled at Hannibal, his ears flattened low against his head.

“I can’t just let you murder someone, Hannibal! You might be kill-happy, but I’m more into saving lives than ending them,” Will said. An amused smile crept over Hannibal’s face.

“Such a strict boy,” Hannibal mused, with a rather overdramatic sigh. At the sight of Will’s folded arms, he rolled his eyes lightly and added, “Would it help if I told you they were also a serial killer?”

Will opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. His tail flicked uncertainly behind him, as he contemplated what sort of response he could give to that. Finally, he settled on a semi-sarcastic, “Why am I not surprised you have serial killing friends? Do you get together for murder discussions on weekends?” Alright, maybe he was being fully sarcastic.

“I don’t think we can be classed as friends if I’m trying to kill him, dear Will. And of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. The Murder Association is a yearly event, only occurring on whichever Friday the thirteenth is closet to October.” 

Will rolled his eyes. “Please, I bet between the Murder Association attempted murder is basically a friendly hello. Glad to know you all like clichés though. Next time I have to escape a serial killer I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Yes, well, the whole Association is aware that I like to have old friends for dinner.” Will groaned and smacked a hand into his forehead. 

“Were your stupid puns always that obvious? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m not sure I could emotionally deal with knowing that the FBI missed the cannibal who was making puns while serving dinner.” 

“You already missed one earlier in our conversation, mylimasis. I think I do a rather fine job of it.” Will ran the conversation through in his head, before cursing. He could only keep up a scowl for a few seconds, however, before he began giggling uncontrollably. Hannibal laughed along with him, and Will reluctantly admitted to himself that this was nice. Bantering with Hannibal. Making terrible puns. Just being himself. He kept the thought private for now.

“Who is this unfortunate dinner guest then, anyway?” Will asked once he had calmed down.

“His name is Tobias Budge, but you may know him better as the man who committed the Cello Murder.” Will blinked in shock. The facts of the most recent case the FBI had been investigating raced through his mind. He froze as he came to a revelation, the sound of the serenade echoing eerily in his twitching ears.

“He knows you’re the Ripper. He was serenading you, trying to attract your attention. He wants you as a friend, someone who understands how he sees the world,” Will revealed, his empathy making the killer’s motivations clear with this new information.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow, considering Will’s words. “Thank you, my darling Will. I was aware he knew of my aptitude for killing, but not that he knew who I was. It’s a treat to see your mind at work.” Will’s ears twitched shyly as he blushed, before he turned his mind back to the subject he had been avoiding. Hannibal’s offer. 

Will considered his options. He did not want to eat dinner while pretending the man he was sitting with wasn’t about to be killed. But there was a niggling sense of paranoia in his mind. The Cello killer was an accomplished murderer. What if Hannibal got injured? Despite everything, Will still cared deeply for Hannibal. He didn’t want him hurt if he could prevent it.

“If I promise you I won’t escape,” Will began seriously, making sure to keep direct eye contact with Hannibal, “will you let me stay in the kitchen instead of the dining room? I can’t watch as you kill someone but…” Will trailed off. He felt awkward admitting his feelings, but he knew it was the only way Hannibal would allow his request. He took a deep breath and finished, “But I don’t want to be locked in a room unable to help if he hurts you.”

Will averted his eyes at the sight of Hannibal’s unrestrained smile. He was losing ground rapidly in the fight for his morality. With a cold twist of fear, Will realised he would sacrifice his morals for Hannibal’s life, or even to reduce his chance of injury. How long would it be before he would happily sacrifice his ethics for simply Hannibal himself? His tail swished in his fear. He needed to escape before it came to that. But for now, if Hannibal allowed it, he would keep his promise.

“Of course, my dear. I will set a place for you in case you change your mind, but you are welcome to only intervene if you feel you need to.” Will nodded his agreement. Hannibal held a hand out to Will who took it but cocked his head in confusion.

Hannibal laughed lightly, his thumb tracing over Will’s hand. “Come, my Mongoose. You can help me prepare dinner,” Hannibal said, leading Will from the hall towards the kitchen. Will glared at Hannibal’s back.

“I’m not touching any meat, Hannibal.”

“It’s a simple matter of cutting vegetables, I promise you.” Will sighed, but his ears were perked in interest. He had never cooked with Hannibal before, and it was sure to be an experience. With Hannibal’s theatrical streak, it couldn’t be anything less.

When they reached the kitchen, Will watched as Hannibal retrieved various tools and ingredients from around the kitchen, some of which he couldn’t even name. It was only when Hannibal passed several carrots over to Will that he realised to cut the ingredients, he would need a knife. Hannibal was trusting him with a knife.

Will glanced over at Hannibal, who was watching him with an amused smile as though he knew Will’s thoughts and was internally cooing over how cute and silly his mongoose was. Will snorted at his own thoughts, waving off Hannibal’s raised eyebrow. He carefully removed a knife and began chopping the carrots, ensuring they were all the same thickness. He couldn’t find it in himself to break Hannibal’s trust.

He would still try to escape. He wouldn’t remain passive. He would turn in Hannibal at his first opportunity. And yet, for now, he took comfort in the comfortable silence in the kitchen as the two men worked in tandem, almost instinctively keeping pace with each other. For now, he would allow himself peace in the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided when to place this! It's during Fromage, apparently. I have no idea how I'm gonna deal with Abigail tbh, but I'll think of something lol.


	6. Chapter 6

Finishing his task efficiently, Will passed the diced vegetables over to Hannibal. He proceeded to pace out his anxiety around the room, ignoring Hannibal’s amused glances in his direction. He needed time to think. But with the imminent arrival of another serial killer, he couldn’t calm the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind enough to actually sort through them.

He froze in place when the doorbell rang. Tail puffed out in aggravation, Will instinctively tensed in preparation for a fight he knew wasn’t coming yet. He only managed to relax once Hannibal placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be alright, dear Will. You’ll be on stand if I need a daring rescue,” Hannibal teased lightly, distracting Will from his concerns.

Will snorted. “More like if you’re feeling theatrical and want an audience,” he replied. Will waited as he heard Hannibal open the door and cordially invite Tobias Budge into his house. He sat in silence, his thoughts swarming in his head, as he heard Hannibal talk in a loud voice about replacing the strings on his harpsichord. That got a slight smile out of Will. Hannibal was pretentious as always.

Will listened as Hannibal lead Budge into the dining room, before excusing himself to retrieve the food from the kitchen. As Hannibal entered, Will shot him a questioning look, attempting to ensure that everything had gone according to plan. Luckily, Hannibal understood, and answered with a brief nod.

As Hannibal returned to the dining room, Will couldn’t help but linger by the door. Hannibal would be fine. He was the Chesapeake Ripper, a fact that still disturbed Will but, for now, brought him a small sense of comfort. He wouldn’t be beaten by some second-rate serial killer.

He could hear the discussion occurring in the next room clearly. Hannibal was announcing his ostentatious wine choice, and honestly Will could barely understand half of what he was saying. He wasn’t much of a wine drinker. And even if he was, Hannibal’s expensive and exotic tastes were far beyond him.

When he heard Hannibal bluntly ask if Budge was the Cello killer, Will had to restrain himself from banging his head off the wall. A daring rescue was seeming more likely if Hannibal kept this up. Luckily, Budge didn’t seem suspicious just yet. 

Will twitched his ears as he heard Budge profess that he had intended to kill Hannibal, and his protective instincts flared up. He couldn’t help it. He still cared deeply for Hannibal. He did have to hold back a dark giggle at Hannibal’s humour, however. Especially with the hidden cannibal pun. Lean gut, indeed.

When Budge let slip that he knew Hannibal was the Ripper, Will felt a straining mix of relief and concern flood his veins. Relief that he had warned Hannibal and concern that Hannibal himself no longer had the element of surprise. Despite his worry, Will didn’t want to step in. He had no doubt that it would be the beginning of the end if he did.

Will heard the scrap of chairs as both men stood up. Finally, Budge came to his point. “I could use a friend,” Will heard him say. “Someone who can understand me. Who… thinks like I do and can see the world and the people in it the way I do.”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Hannibal replied, and Will began to get a bad feeling that Hannibal wasn’t going to go for a surprise attack. “But I don’t want to be your friend,” he finished, and Will cursed mentally. Why was Hannibal such a drama queen?

“Then why did you invite me here for dinner?” Budge asked, and Will’s ears twitched in agitation as he mentally pleaded with Hannibal not to tell Budge the truth.

“I was going to kill you.” God. Damnit. Will felt his teeth clench. He could not put up with losing his entire moral code saving Hannibal just because the other man wanted to be melodramatic. His tail was lashing so wildly he was surprised it wasn’t audible to the men in the next room. 

“I didn’t poison you, Tobias. I wouldn’t do that to the food,” Will heard Hannibal say, the sarcastic asshole, just before the sounds of a fight broke out. It was torture, listening to the fight through a door with no way of telling who was winning. He could hear smashing glass and heavy grunts, but nothing concrete enough to be able to tell what was happening.

He couldn’t stand it. He had to make his choice. Was potentially saving Hannibal worth risking his entire sense of justice? With a despairing sigh, Will realised, to him, it was. Hannibal had been his first friend, was the only one who accepted him and made him feel safe. He was the only person that Will could spend time with without feeling drained, and the only person he had ever cared so intensely about. He would sacrifice anything to protect him, to keep him alive and with Will.

Will burst through the kitchen door. Both killers were injured, with Hannibal decidedly less so. Using Budge’s surprise at his sudden appearance to his advantage, Will tackled the man to the floor. To his credit, Budge immediately began to fight back. He got a lucky shot to Will’s face, causing Will’s eyes to water and his grip to loosen in his pain.

Budge threw him off and demanded in a rasping tone as he stood, “Is this why you wouldn’t be my friend?” Hannibal’s eyes glittered with an eerie combination of malice and warmth.

“Yes,” he replied simply, before pouncing. As Will wiped his eyes and stood as well, Hannibal attacked Budge with all the ferocity of a snake. He had grabbed a knife from the table, and forcefully stabbed it into Budge’s leg.

As Hannibal retreated to avoid Budge’s returning strike, Will attacked. He caught hold of Budge’s hand and pulled sharply on two of his fingers. There was a sickening crack as Budge’s fingers dislocated. Budge cursed as Will retreated as well. 

Hannibal and Will moved in total sync with each other. Two predators, two destined enemies, working together in perfect synchronicity. Overcoming their natural roles for their own choices. It was then that Budge caught another fortunate opportunity. He had wrenched the knife from his leg and slashed at Hannibal as he approached, cutting him across the arm.

Will’s vision went red. Hannibal was hurt. The only person he loved was hurt. Will lunged forward. He caught Hannibal’s expression out of the corner of his eye as he moved; his face was one of pure awe. Budge tried to swipe out at Will with the knife, but Will kicked his leg right on his stab wound.

Budge went down hard on one knee, swearing in agony. And Will took his chance. He sprang towards Budge and aimed straight for his neck. His sharpened teeth sank through Budge’s throat like butter as the metallic tang of blood filled Will’s mouth. Budge gurgled out a brief noise as Will yanked his head back, tearing a chunk out of his flesh.

Will spat out the meat as Budge’s body crumpled to the ground, blood pumping from the hole in his throat. His head clearing from his rage filled state, Will turned to Hannibal, desperate for reassurance. Hannibal’s face was soft and filled with wonder, as though he had witnessed a miracle.

“My darling, cunning, wonderful Will,” Hannibal murmured, the words falling smoothly from his lips, “I adore you. You never cease to amaze me.” Will’s eyes sought Hannibal’s, finally accepting that Hannibal was true in his feelings. He could no longer stop his own feelings, no longer even wanted to suppress them. He fell willingly.

Will was the one to close the gap. He lurched towards Hannibal, arms seeking out the other man for comfort. Hannibal softly enfolded Will in his arms. Will stood in the encompassing warmth for a few moments, unable to communicate his thoughts into words. He nuzzled against Hannibal, before making his decision. Tilting his head upwards, he softly connected his lips to Hannibal’s.

There was the briefest moment where Hannibal stood stone still, before he clutched Will closer to him, kissing him fiercely in return, savouring the taste of blood and heat. The two men shared in the warmth of each other’s lips for a few more moments before reluctantly separating to breathe.

“Mylimasis, what could I ever have done to deserve you?” Hannibal whispered, caressing his hand tenderly over Will’s face. The purr-like rumble echoed up from Will’s chest as he snuggled against Hannibal with a snort.

“Probably nothing. I am fully aware you manipulated that situation so that I would feel compelled to save you, Hannibal. If I wasn’t so concerned, you’d be in a lot of trouble,” Will complained with no heat, his words muffled against Hannibal’s chest.

“What gave me away, my dear Will?” Hannibal asked jokingly.

“You were being a giant drama queen. Love you anyway,” Will mumbled sleepily. Apparently protective instinct fuelled murder took a lot out of a guy. Who’d have guessed, Will thought sarcastically.  
Hannibal began to gently pet the ears atop his head, gently lulling him further into sleep as he hugged him tighter. “My Mongoose,” he muttered fondly, “you have given me a gift I can never repay. I love you too.” That was the last Will heard before he succumbed to the irresistible lure of sleeping in Hannibal’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the love crime moment! I'm halfway through the next and final chapter, so hope you all enjoy, and thanks for sticking with this :)


	7. Chapter 7

Will woke on the sofa in Hannibal’s lounge, a sinfully soft blanket laid over him. The smell of cooking filled the air, and Will followed his nose to the kitchen, where Hannibal was making fresh dinner. After all, the other meal had ended up covered with blood and on the floor. Thinking of that, Will noticed that the area where Budge’s body had laid was cleared. Hannibal was good.

Will hugged Hannibal from behind, causing the other man to chuckle as Will laid his head on his shoulder. “You know, I’ve been sleeping a lot more ever since I got these ears. I’ve had no nightmares either,” Will mused sleepily. Will felt Hannibal stiffen beneath his arms.

Letting out a sigh, but wrapping his tail around Hannibal’s waist anyway, Will lifted his head and asked grouchily, “Alright, what did you do?”

“Whatever do you mean, my dear Will?” 

Will scoffed. “Don’t even try it, Hannibal. Just spit it out, I won’t be that mad. Probably.”

“I believe that you were suffering from Encephalitis. That would have been causing the sleepwalking and nightmares.” Will buried his head back in Hannibal’s neck with a groan.

“I thought I was going crazy, Hannibal.”

“I… may have encouraged that idea.”

“Of course you did. Wait, was suffering? Am I not anymore?” Will wondered, his ears twitching in question. Hannibal turned to face him before answering, sniffing the air around him which Will rolled his eyes at.

“I do not believe so. I could smell it on you, but when you developed your mongoose features the scent disappeared.”

Will nodded, before flicking Hannibal hard on the forehead. Hannibal gave him an unimpressed glower, to which Will simply smiled. “If this is going to work, no more lying to me, okay?” he asked. Hannibal’s expression melted into one of affection as he cupped Will’s face with his hand.

“Of course, my darling Will. I promise you.” Hannibal gently pulled Will into a kiss, pouring his feelings into the contact. Will responded eagerly to the sweet kiss, a shiver passing through his tail. The two reluctantly separated and Will watched in contentment as Hannibal finished cooking. As they sat down to eat, Will brought up the worry that had been tugging at his mind.

“So, what are we going to do now?” he mumbled while nibbling at a forkful of carrot.

“What are you referring to, my dear Will?”

Will sighed and placed down his fork. “About me being missing. About the man I killed. About me having mongoose ears,” he elaborated, gesturing emphatically at the aforementioned ears.

“Tobias’ body has already been taken care of, my darling. And I have a hunch about your ears. As for you being missing, I believe it’s time I left the states. Florence is particularly nice this time of year. And so you will simply remain missing.”

Will blinked at Hannibal, his tail swishing in confusion. Should he even be surprised the man had thought out running away with him? Probably not. What was surprising, however, was what he had said before that.

“What do you mean ‘a hunch’? Do you know how the hell this happened?” Will had to resist the urge to gape. It was somehow more unbelievable that there was a reason behind him suddenly popping animal features than the idea that it had just happened spontaneously. 

“Not in so many words. It was simply a conversation I had with Dr Chilton recently. He said some things that led me to believe he may be responsible.” Will stared blankly at Hannibal, his ears flattened.   
“Are you telling me it was Frederick Chilton that gave me mongoose ears?”

“I believe so, yes.” Will stood still. How? Why? None of this was making any sense! Will took a deep breathe to calm his thoughts, before lifting his head to make eye contact with Hannibal.

“Well, in this conversation did he happen to tell you how to reverse it?” he asked desperately.

“Nothing so concrete, mylimasis. He simply mentioned bringing out the ‘true form of someone’s mind to their physical selves’. He then immediately brought up you and asked, completely theoretically of course, what animal would I compare Will Graham to? I simply connected the dots.”

Will resisted the urge to bang his head off the table. Instead, he simply covered his face with his hands and swore violently. He heard Hannibal tut at his language, but he ignored him. He could be allowed to let off some steam after all the crap he just found out.

“If it helps, dear Will, I quite enjoy your mongoose features. They only enhance your adorable attributes, and the noises you make are very cute as well.” Will’s face went red as his tail whipped side to side in his embarrassment. 

Then he paused. “Are you telling me to keep my ears and tail? Even if there was a solution?” he asked.

“To be honest with you, dear Will, I’m not sure you should get your hopes up. However Dr Chilton achieved this, I doubt he will be able to undo it. I am perfectly happy to convince him to tell me what he knows, of course. Whatever you want, my darling.”

Will snorted. “You just want to kill him, don’t you?” At Hannibal’s pause, Will’s theory was confirmed. He sighed, ears twitching, and said, “I’m not going to be all murder-happy all of a sudden okay? But I’m just saying, I won’t be mad if you do.”

Hannibal’s lips twitched into a smile. “Is that your way of asking me to kill him for you, my darling Will?” Will scowled, but his tail’s content movements gave away his happiness.

“We’re still going to try to figure out if this is reversible. I don’t want to have to wear hats for the rest of my life. Also, I want to know why the hell he did this,” Will grumbled, ignoring Hannibal’s wide smile as he avoided directly answering the question.

“We? Should I assume you will be helping me, then?” Hannibal asked with a sly expression. Will rolled his eyes. Of course, Hannibal would want him to help with his murders. He could practically see the Tattlecrime articles now: The Couple Who Slaughters Together Stays Together- Murder Husbands on the Loose!

“To a degree,” Will grumbled in reply. His tail twitched at Hannibal’s gleeful expression, and he wasn’t entirely sure if it was in aggravation or happiness at Hannibal’s absurd joy. He decided not to question it. Instead, he focused on the predatory look settling on Hannibal’s face.

“Well,” Hannibal said, “I think we have some preparing to do.”

*

Will scoffed at the sight of Chilton’s extravagant house. He would’ve have commented on their shared pretentiousness to Hannibal, but he currently couldn’t look at him without bursting out laughing. Hannibal had a murder suit. A full plastic murder suit. Even the thought caused him to start snickering again, catching Hannibal’s dirty look out of the corner of his eye.

His ears swivelled as he caught the low sounds of a television in the house. That would be good cover. He nodded at Hannibal to signal this and Hannibal responded by moving towards the house, gracefully ignoring the slight twitching of Will’s lips.

Hannibal carefully picked the lock on one of the windows, and Will wasn’t even surprised he could do that. Hannibal eased the window open and gestured for Will to enter. Will clambered up silently, his tail stretched to keep his balance, with Hannibal following after him. Will held in a hysterical giggle. Just yesterday he had been refusing to co-operate with Hannibal. Now he was going to kill with him. Again.

As they entered the house, Will let Hannibal take the lead. They silently entered the living room, where Frederick Chilton was laying on his sofa watching, to Will’s momentary amusement, a crime drama.   
“Hello, Frederick,” Hannibal said softly, and Will was beginning to realise that Hannibal was not subtle. Chilton jumped in shock, briefly taking in both Hannibal’s ridiculous murder suit and Will’s mongoose features before Hannibal lunged. He restrained Chilton quickly and efficiently, tying his arms and legs with rope. 

“We have a few questions for you. It would be in your best interest to answer honestly,” Hannibal informed Chilton mildly, as though he was presenting a news report. Will would have snorted if he wasn’t so anxious about Chilton’s answers. He caught Chilton eyeing his swishing tail and scowled at him.

“Did you do this to me?” he demanded harshly. Chilton hesitated but nodded slowly. Will’s eyes narrowed as his ears flattened. “How? Why?”

Chilton gulped at the furious look in Will’s eyes. He seemed to realise that he was out of his depth, that he was in serious danger, as he answered without much preamble. “I wanted to study you. I figured that if something happened to make you… inhuman, no one would protest me. A strange woman approached me, said that she knew what I wanted and could help. Something about bees and acupuncture and ancient arts. I didn’t believe it would work.”

Chilton’s greedy eyes examined Will’s rapidly twitching ears, and Will had to restrain the urge to snarl at him. He needed his final question answered. “Is there any way to reverse it?” he asked desperately. Hannibal, who had been lurking silently near Chilton, perked in attention. 

“Not that I know. The woman was arrested for murder. I don’t know what happened to her, or how she did that to you.” Will’s eye twitched.

“Are you telling me that not only did you enlist a random woman to make me part animal so that you could legally kidnap me, but the woman you chose ended up being a murderer?” Will spat out.

“Yes…” Chilton admitted hesitantly.

“Hannibal?” Will asked, venom dripping from his voice.

“Yes, my darling Will?”

“Kill him, please.”

“With pleasure,” Hannibal replied, a monstrous smile painting his face.

“That’s a joke, right?” Chilton asked fearfully, squirming in an attempt to escape his ropes. “You two are joking. That’s funny. Can you let me go now?”

Hannibal strode forward, retrieving a scalpel from his suit. A choked noise came from Chilton’s throat as he struggled harder at the sight of the weapon. Hannibal chuckled lightly. “Do you know what discovery my dear Will has made recently, Frederick?” he asked lightly. Chilton shook his head, his voice abandoning him in his fear. “He discovered my eating habits. And my other name. Say hello to the Chesapeake Ripper.”

A scream ripped free of Chilton’s mouth as Hannibal began to plunge the scalpel down.

*

Several Months Later

Will padded across the carpeted floor of his bedroom, his tail swishing contentedly behind him. He often woke beside Hannibal, but it seemed the man had decided to get up early to cook breakfast that morning. The idea caused a soft smile to drift across Will’s face as his ears perked. He was starving.

He exited the room and went down the stairs, sunlight casting a buttery glow throughout the home. Will was enjoying the sunlight in Florence almost as much as his dogs were. He was still impressed Hannibal had managed to retrieve his pack before they had left America.

He entered the kitchen to Hannibal laying the table, the scent of eggs and sausage drifting through the air. Grinning sleepily at the other man, he gave him a soft peck on his lips before sitting to enjoy his breakfast. He loved that Hannibal still retained an almost dazed look at his affections.

As the two men sat to eat, Hannibal passed over a computer tablet to Will. At Will’s twitch of his tail in question, Hannibal elaborated, “Read the article, mylimasis. I think you’ll find it interesting.”

Will switched on the tablet to reveal the Tattlecrime home page loaded up. Will rolled his eyes at Hannibal over the tablet but continued reading. The most recent article was titled, “If You Can’t Beat Him, Join Him- FBI Profiler Will Graham Runs Away with Hannibal the Cannibal!” Will burst out laughing, his ears twitching in amusement.

“I take it Jack has stopped interfering with Freddie’s writing, then?” Will commented when he had calmed down. Hannibal’s lips twitched.

“It would seem that way, my Mongoose.” Will smiled at Hannibal’s pet name. While annoying at first, it had grown on him. Just like the mongoose features themselves, Will realised. 

Will rolled his eyes at himself, before moving to sit on Hannibal’s lap. As Hannibal’s hand moved automatically to stroke his mongoose ears and the purr-like rumble began from his chest, Will smiled as he sank into Hannibal’s chest. This may not have been what he expected his life to turn out like, but it was nice. Will had never felt safer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus it ends! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and all the kind comments! Yes it was Chilton and the weird bee woman murderer from s2. I don't know, she just seemed like the most likely canon murderer to turn someone into a mongoose. And a nice fluffy end to finish it. Also i just ignored Abigail lol. Thanks again, and I hope you all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Why do Will's ears act as a sedative? because I said so that's why. Hope you enjoy this weird romance romp sprinkled with mongooses and puns. Shame I haven't told Will he is in a romance story.


End file.
